How the Nightmares Ended
by LucindaRemyMalfoy
Summary: Can Hermione get rid of the nightmares once and for all with some unlikely help ? M for Lemons


**I thought I'd do a oneshot for Draco and Hermione. **

**I don't own any of the characters, just the plot.**

* * *

It was Hermione's seventh year at Hogwarts and she was torn between feeling excitement and dread. Even though the war was over, the scars were still fresh, and everyone treaded lightly.

It was hard for her to see Hogwarts as it was now, bright and new, because all she could see were fragments of her memories during the war. There had been bodies everywhere, blood dripping down the stone stairs, and the screams of those she loved echoing through the halls.

She shook her head, attempting to clear her mind of those thoughts. She was determined to have a good year. The nightmares would stop, she told herself, walking into the Great Hall for the first time in what seemed like ages.

There were students milling about everywhere. Most faces were familiar, others were the faces of the new class of first years, but there were also the empty seats of the classmates that were no longer with them. The casualties of the war.

She took a deep breath and took her regular seat with Ron, Harry, and Ginny. Harry smiled and gave her a hug, "It's good to see you again Mione."

"It's good to see you too Harry."

Ginny smiled, her eyes red from crying, "I'm so glad you decided to come back after all."

Hermione had been at war with herself about coming back here. Of course she had wanted to come back, school was her life, but she also realized that she had changed since the war. They all had. It had taken a lot of convincing from Ginny, Mr. and Mrs. Weasely, and Harry to get her to come back for her final year.

She turned to Ron and gently placed her hand on his arm, "It's good to see you." she whispered.

He forced and smile and pulled her into a hug. He had taken Fred's death the hardest, withdrawing from almost everyone except Ginny, Harry, and Hermione.

She took a look around the Great Hall and saw that everyone seemed to be handling their grief differently. Some of them didn't seem phased at all, but others, others who had lost someone close to them, sat almost motionless staring off into space.

Hermione could relate to the feeling.

As her eyes continued to roam the tables, she landed on a particularly familiar Slytherin table. Pansy, Blaise, Crabbe, Goyle, and Draco sat, their heads held high, talking as if nothing was different.

They were no fools though, they were well aware of everyone's stares, everyone's hateful whispers, they just chose to ignore it. Even though they'd switched sides during the war, and paid for the repairs of Hogwarts, everyone still regarded them as traitors.

Hermione was about to turn away when Draco looked over his shoulder at her, clearly surprised to find her already looking at him.

She quickly averted her gaze and turned back to her friends.

After everyone had entered the Great Hall Professor McGonagall's voice boomed out around them.

"I would like to welcome everyone to the new school year here at Hogwarts. As you know we have our annual announcement of Head Girl and Head Boy."

She unfolded a piece of paper and smiled, "Head Girl is Hermione Granger."

At that there were cheers and Hermione smiled shyly and stood to stand next to Professor McGonagall. She smiled at her and then turned back to the rest of the students.

"And Head Boy, is Draco Malfoy."

You could hear a pin drop, it was that quiet. Draco groaned and stood up, striding with his usual confidence to stand on the other side of McGonagall, looking incredibly bored.

McGonagall quickly covered the silence by saying, "Alright, everyone to their rooms, you've got class bright and early tomorrow morning."

With that everyone started to exit the Great Hall, but the professor stoped Draco and Hermione. "Come with me. I'll show you to your rooms."

They followed her wordlessly. Hermione's mind was spinning. How was she was expected to live in close quarters and work with the one boy who hated her more than anything else?

McGonagall stopped in front of a portrait with a lion and a serpent, both creatures were passively ignoring each other.

"Your password is Pixies." Before she turned to leave she gave each of them a stern look. "You two are both adults who have been through a lot during the past year. So I hope that there will be no fighting between the two of you."

They nodded and watched silently as the the woman rounded the corner and disappeared. Hermione sighed, and without looking at Draco, mumbled, "Pixies."

The portrait opened and they both stepped through, Draco closing the portrait behind them.

Their common room was quite big. There was a soft brown couch, with gold pillows, and a matching lounge chair in front of a crackling fireplace. The walls were painted an emerald green and the floor was a dark wood, accented by a few light colored rugs scattered about.

Hermione walked into the small kitchenette and started boiling water for tea. It had become a habit of hers when she felt anxious or upset.

Draco watched her fidgeting about the small kitchen, slightly in a trance. He had never seen her like this. She was always calm and collected Hermione, but now it seemed as though she were broken. He reminded her of a lost little girl. And she had lost quite a bit of weight. He could see her spine through her tanktop when she'd taken off her robe.

"Would you like a cup of tea Malfoy?" she asked quietly.

He didn't respond, just watched her. He hadn't expected her to say anything to him. He heard her sigh and pour tea into a cup and set it on the small table.

"In case you change your mind." she said, slipping past him and retreating to her room.

Draco didn't know what to do with her kindness. He picked up the cup and sipped on the tea while he thought. His feelings for Hermione seemed to have changed rather drastically since he'd changed sides in the war. Maybe even before.

He grabbed a piece of parchment paper and scrawled a quick note, sliding it into her school bag. He turned and retired to his own room, falling into a restless sleep.

* * *

Draco awoke to the sound of screaming coming from Hermione's room. He sat up, still groggy and made his way to her room.

The door was locked, but it was definitely her screaming. He banged his hand on the door, and then all of a sudden the screaming stopped. He listened and heard her taking sharp and quick breaths.

"Hermione?" he asked through the door, trying to keep the concern out of his voice.

He heard shuffling and then she was pulling the door open.

What he saw shocked him. She was skinnier than he had first thought, now that she only had on a thin tank top and a pair of shorts. Even though she looked frail, she was still incredibly beautiful. Her hair was a curly mess around her face, and her eyes were slightly red.

"I'm sorry that I woke you." she said quietly, not meeting his eyes.

"Are you alright?" he asked instead.

She nodded quickly, "Yes, yes I'm fine."

Draco didn't believe her, especially not when she walked into the kitchen and started boiling another kettle of water.

"Are you sure?" he wasn't sure why he was asking, he just knew that he didn't like this side of Hermione. He hated to admit it, but he missed the firecracker she once was.

She nodded and began drumming her fingers along the counter, just barely allowing the kettle to whistle before pouring herself a cup.

She leaned against the counter and closed her eyes attempting to block the images of her nightmare from her mind. It had been one of the worse ones, watching Fred die again...

"You can go back to bed Malfoy. It won't happen again." she said with a weak smile.

He sighed, but did as she said, falling into an even more restless sleep than before.

* * *

The next morning Hermione acted as if nothing had happened. She was dressed in her regular school clothes, her hair falling in ringlet curls down her back. She walked into the common room and saw Draco dozing off on the couch. She smiled at the sight, why she had no idea.

She grabbed her bag and nudged his foot of the table, causing him to wake with a start. "We're going to be late to class. We already missed breakfast."

By the time he stood she had already left. He ran a hand through his hair and cursed, looking down at his more than noticeable erection. He prayed that Hermione hadn't seen it, and moved uncomfortably in his pants. He had been dreaming of her..._ravishing_ her.

With another muttered curse he headed off to his first class. Potions.

When he walked in he was surprised to see Hermione at a table by herself, setting up her potions kit. He glanced around the room and found Ron and Harry at a table as well, looking over at her often.

"Ah, Mr. Malfoy how nice of you to join us. Why don't you take a seat with Miss Granger so we may begin our lesson."

He nodded and moved to sit next to her. She didn't say much of anything, until she opened her bag, searching for her quill.

She pulled out a piece of parchment and unfolded it, a curious expression on her face. Draco almost flushed pink from embarassment when he realized it was the note he'd written her the night before. He expected her to be upset or to not have a reaction at all.

Hermione read the note, _Thanks for the tea Granger. - DM _

She smiled and glanced up at him and whispered, "You're welcome."

That was the last time she mentioned it, but their tea became a routine that Draco found he rather enjoyed. Although they never spoke much, he still enjoyed her company. She would sit curled up on the lounge chair by the fireplace and read a book and doze off, and each night Draco would put her in bed, only to be woken up a few hours later by her screaming. He knew that she was having nightmares about the war, but he didn't bring it up. He understood not wanting to talk about it, because he didn't want to either.

* * *

**_Four Months Later _**

Draco woke up at around one in the morning to Hermione screaming. It had become a part of his routine to go bang on her door until she woke up, or on nights when she didn't lock her door he would walk in and wake her up. But those nights happened very rarely.

He walked to her door and turned the handle, surprised when the door swung open. He never got used to seeing her having nightmares. She was always screaming and mumbling things that he couldn't understand.

He walked over to her bedside and shook her gently, "Hermione, you're having a nightmare. Wake up."

She woke with a start, quickly realizing after the last four months, that she had woken him up _again_.

"I'm sorry." she said sitting up.

He shook his head, "Don't worry about it. Come on, I'll make you some tea."

She followed him into the common room and he told her to sit on the couch. She sat and pulled her feet underneath her, staring into the fireplace that had sprang to life at their presence.

Draco returned a few minutes later with a cup of tea in his hand. He gave it to her and sat down beside her.

"Thank you."

They sat in a silence they were both accustom to, until Hermione broke the silence.

"Do you ever dream about the war?"

"No."

He saw her frown, and decided to clarify.

"When I go to sleep...it's the only time that I'm not thinking about the war."

"I'm sorry I asked." she said noticing the tense way he held himself.

"Don't be."

He looked at her and noticed a small tear roll down her cheek, she quickly wiped it away and moved her empty cup of tea to the coffee table.

Draco wanted to ask Hermione what she had dreamed about, but he was afraid that she would leave, and he really didn't feel like being alone.

"She was torturing me." she said quietly.

Draco turned to look at her, momentarily confused, but he took one look at her eyes and he knew that she was recounting her dream...or her time during the war.

"I..." she took a deep breath and continued, "I was back at your old house. She was on top of me...carving Mudblood into my arm,"

Her hand covered the mark on her arm, but he knew it was there, though he'd never seen it before.

"She kept on muttering 'You dirty little Mudblood. Good for nothing waste of space.' and I tried to get her off me...but she stood up..."

She broke off, another tear rolling down her cheek. She couldn't bring herself to tell him the rest of what happened. She had used the Sectumsempra spell on her repeatedly.

But Draco knew all that too. He had sat there and listened as she recounted what she'd done to her. 'She' referring to Bellatrix, his aunt.

"Hermione," he said quietly, raising his thumb to brush away her tears.

They both felt the spark that the contact created and Hermione's eyes met Draco's.

"Draco,"

It was the first time she'd used his name, and Draco felt that he rather liked the way it sounded.

He leaned forward and kissed her softly. She was completely caught off guard, but quickly relaxed into his touch.

After a few minutes he pulled away, slightly shocked. "You let me kiss you."

Hermione shrugged and leaned back, trying to dismiss it as nothing, but Draco saw past it.

"Why?"

All of a sudden she snapped. Her calm facade that she'd put up through the past four months was gone and she was finally showing how she really felt.

"Why? Maybe because I'm lonely. Maybe because I'm scared-no, downright terrified of being alone. Maybe because I've missed being able to connect with somebody. Or maybe because when I'm with you I can feel something other than pain and guilt. I can _breathe_ when your around. Somehow the nightmares don't seem so bad knowing that they won't last forever."

Draco was stunned by Hermione's sudden outburst, but in a good way. Over the past four months he had fallen in love with her. He hadn't wanted to believe it at first, but his feelings, and his rather explicit dreams, couldn't be argued with.

He wanted to care for Hermione. He wanted to be able to take her pain away, to bring back the girl he'd had intellectual sparings with, the girl with the witty combacks, the girl with a spark.

Over the past four months he'd been able to see it in her more and more, but it would always shatter when she had a particularly bad nightmare or if she was alone too long with her thoughts.

Hermione took Draco's silence as a rejection and begun to stand, but she was quickly pulled down onto his lap, straddling him.

"I'm lonely too." he said kissing her right cheek. "I'm scared of being alone too." he said bringing his lips to her left cheek. "I've never had a connection to someone that compares to what I have with you." he said kissing her forehead. "And when I'm with you I don't feel guilty. I don't feel pain. The only thing I feel...is you." With that he brought his lips to hers and she responded almost immediately.

She wrapped her arms around his neck, letting her hands wander through the soft blonde hair at the nape of his neck, causing him to moan her name.

She slowly started moving against him, not quite sure what to do. Draco moved his hands to her hips and guided her movements, pulling away from her mouth to kiss a trail down her neck, stopping when her shirt became an issue.

He groaned and moved to take off her shirt, while she did the same to him. They both tossed the shirts onto the floor away from them, and both of them stilled.

Hermione was mesmerized by how perfect Draco's body was. His chest was toned and defined, and his stomach taut as she ran her hands over his alabaster skin. He moaned as her hands grazed over his nipples and pulled her back for a kiss.

He ran his hands over every inch of skin he could touch, completely intranced by her soft body. She had gained some weight over the past months, and though she wasn't like she was before, she had regained some of her curves.

He moved his hand to her back and unclasped her bra. She paused for a moment, but he didn't give her much time to feel self concious. He kissed her again, his tongue stroking hers while he masaged her breasts.

She moaned as he brought his lips down to her rosy nipple, taking it into his mouth and sucking until it was erect, then moving to her other breast and repeating what he did to the other one.

She was panting and pulling on his hair. He smirked and brought his lips back up to hers, ravishing her mouth.

"Please," she moaned, not quite sure what it was exactly that she was asking for.

Draco groaned as she moved her hips against him, and quickly decided that he needed to get her in bed. He stood and carried her into his room, depositing her on the bed and casting a silencing charm on the room.

He took a moment to look at Hermione, she was lying on his bed, staring at him with lust glazed eyes, in only a lacey pair of black panties. Her curly hair was spiraled out around her, making her look like a sex goddess, and it just turned him on even more.

He crawled over to her, his eyes like mercury.

He gave her a heated kiss before trailing his lips down her neck, stopping to suck on her pulse point, moving to kiss the scar she hated so much on her arm, continuing down past her breasts and down her stomach, dipping his tongue in her navel.

She let out a soft moan, that just spurred him on. He brought his lips to the waistband of her panties, trailing his tongue across the delicate skin there. He then hooked his fingers through them and slowly slid them down her legs, being sure to trail his fingers across her skin.

He tossed her underwear aside and then slid his hands up her thighs, spreading her legs so he could lie between them. She took a shaky breath and looked down at him.

The sight of him between her legs, looking up at her with that sexy smirk of his almost undid her. "Just relax. Let me make you happy." he said, his voice husky with desire.

He positioned himself so that her legs were on his shoulders and then brought his tongue to her core.

She groaned and dropped her head back onto his silk sheets trying to control her moans, while he slowly lapped at her, driving her insane with his talented tongue.

She started feeling a tight knot of warmth forming in her stomach and her hips began to move on their own accord. She was writing underneath him, her back arching off the bed, only to be pushed back down by Draco's hands.

"Oh Merlin," she panted, threading her hands through his hair.

Without warning he gently slid a finger into her tight entrance, never ceasing his onslaught with his tongue. If anything he sped up his minstrations.

Hermione felt like she was going to explode, and Draco could tell. He could feel her walls contracting around his finger, and the feeling had him moaning against her.

Hermione bucked her hips at the vibrations his moan had sent straight to her overly sensitive clit, "Oh Merlin..."

He smirked and inserted a second finger, speeding up his pace. "Come for me Hermione."

He looked up at her and could have came from the sight alone.

At that moment he decided there was nothing more beautiful than Hermione Granger experiencing an orgasm.

Her back arched off the bed and her body was shaking as wave after wave of pleasure hit her.

She was panting as he kissed his way back up her body, claiming her mouth in a kiss.

He rubbed his painfully hard erection against her thigh and she moaned, immediately reaching for his belt buckle. She quickly stripped him of his pants and trousers, and then flipped them so she was on top of him.

She ground her dripping center against his erection, eliciting an almost animalistic groan from Draco as he crashed her lips against his. Hermione slowly began kissing her way down his neck, and across his chest. She stopped to tease his nipples before continuing down his stomach.

His stomach muscles tightened as she pressed a kiss to his manhood. "Oh fuck," he muttered under his breath.

"Such foul language Malfoy." she said taking him in her hand.

All he could do was groan as she brought that sinfully sweet mouth to his head. She trailed her tongue along his slit, capturing a drop of his pre-cum, causing her to moan and take him into her mouth. He had to force himself not to thrust up into her mouth. Instead he tangled his hands in her hair, and tried to calm his breathing.

He felt his balls tighten and he quickly pulled her up, crushing his lips to hers.

"Did I do something wrong?" she asked shyly.

He chuckled softly and flipped them so he was on top again. "No, you were doing everything right."

She smiled and wrapped her legs around his waist, bringing him closer to her.

"Malfoy please."

"Call me Draco."

She smiled and brought his lips down to hers again, and without pulling away she whispered, "Draco, please,"

He positioned himself at her entrance and slowly pushed into her, but he stopped short when he reached a barrier.

"You're a virgin?"

Hermione blushed red and refused to look at him, "Yes,"

He had always assumed that during the war she and Ron had had sex. It wasn't a secret that they had been a couple. Everyone knew that.

"Good," he said kissing her softly, biting her lip.

She smiled and took a deep breath. "Do it."

Instead of listening to what she said, Draco began nibbling on her neck, sucking on her pulse point, and kneading her breasts, and before she knew it she was panting and practically begging him for it. That's when he decided to push though.

She yelped in shock at the sudden intrusion, and at the pain. Draco was murmuring that he was sorry, and that he promised he'd be gentle.

After a while the pain dulled and was replaced by an intense feeling of desire. She moved against Draco and he let out a groan, caught off guard by her sudden movement.

"Draco, _move_." she said, pulling him closer to her.

He didn't need to be told twice. He started moving in and out of her at a steady rythym that was slowly drivng Hermione to the edge.

Draco didn't know how long he could keep this up, so he pulled away from her mouth and looked down at her. "Hermione, look at me."

She opened her eyes and bit her lip, trying to control her moans as he hit her G-spot every time he thrust into her.

"Faster," she panted, their eyes still locked on one another.

He began pumping in and out of her at a crazy fast pace, hoping to bring her over the edge before he did. _Ladies first. _

"Oh...Draco-I'm-"

"Fuck, Hermione,"

Her walls clenched around his shaft and they rode out their orgasm together. "I love you," he whispered quietly, praying as soon as the words left his mouth that she hadn't heard him.

After they had both caught their breath she moved to slide out of his bed, but he caught her by the waist.

"Stay with me tonight."

"You want me to stay?" she asked, eyebrow raised.

"You're not just some quick shag Hermione." he said pulling her under his silk sheets and nestling her in his arms.

"So where does that leave us then?" she asked looking up at him.

He smiled, "Where do you want it to leave us?"

She thought about that. Where _did_ she want that to leave them? Of course she had strong feelings for Draco, but she didn't want to get him in trouble, didn't want to deal with the fallout.

"What about your friends? My friends? Your family?"

"I don't give a damn. I think it's about time we get to be happy too, don't you think?" he asked, his eyes holding hers.

And the surprising thing was that she _did_ think that. She was so tired of doing everything for everybody else. Of not being able to feel anything except anger or pain. She was tired of running from love.

She smiled and pressed her lips to his. "So does this mean..."

"That you're my girlfriend? I hope so." he said with a smirk.

"Do you think we should tell people, or just let them figure it out by themselves?" she asked, burying her face in the crook of his neck.

He pulled her close, loving the way they fit together pefectly.

"I don't think we'll have to tell anybody. Considering the fact that I can't keep my hands off you, I think it'll be more than a little obvious that we're together."

She smiled and pressed a soft kiss to his neck, right where his heart beat was. She sighed contentedly, finally happy.

"Good night, Love." he said softly.

"Good night, oh and Draco," she said pulling back enough to look into his eyes, "I love you too."

The world could have ended the next morning and Draco would have died the happiest man alive. He smiled and kissed her, showing her exactly how much he loved her.

It was safe to say that Hermione didn't have another nightmare that night, or any other night following it.

* * *

**Hope you enjoy this one shot while I work through some things with The Secret Engagement. Sorry for the delay with that story, it's just a bit hard to keep my writing muse around these days...**


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